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GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday that there is currently “no evidence” that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.
In a scientific report, the United Nations agency warned governments not to issue “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to infected people, as their accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
The practice could actually increase the risks of continued spread since people who have recovered may ignore advice about taking standard precautions against the virus, he said.
“Some governments have suggested that detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, could serve as the basis for a ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would allow people to travel or go back to work assuming they are protected from reinfection, “the WHO said.
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” he said.
Chile said last week that it would begin issuing “health passports” to people who have recovered from the disease. Once examined to determine if they have developed antibodies to make them immune to the virus, they could immediately join the workforce.
The WHO said it continued to review the evidence on antibody responses to the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. According to Reuters reports, some 2.8 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 196,298 have died.
Most studies have shown that people who have recovered from an infection have antibodies against the virus, the WHO said. However, some of them have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in the blood, “suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical to recovery,” he added.
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In a scientific report, the United Nations agency warned governments not to issue “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to infected people, as their accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
The practice could actually increase the risks of continued spread since people who have recovered may ignore advice about taking standard precautions against the virus, he said.
“Some governments have suggested that detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, could serve as the basis for a ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’ that would allow people to travel or go back to work assuming they are protected from reinfection, “the WHO said.
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” he said.
Chile said last week that it would begin issuing “health passports” to people who have recovered from the disease. Once examined to determine if they have developed antibodies to make them immune to the virus, they could immediately join the workforce.
The WHO said it continued to review the evidence on antibody responses to the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. According to Reuters reports, some 2.8 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 196,298 have died.
Most studies have shown that people who have recovered from an infection have antibodies against the virus, the WHO said. However, some of them have very low levels of neutralizing antibodies in the blood, “suggesting that cellular immunity may also be critical to recovery,” he added.
